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Epilogue 1

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Chapter 53: Epilogue 1 (Evie's POV)

Six months later...

"Stand still, Evie!" my Mom groaned, struggling to pin down my dupatta to my shoulder. 

I ignored her and slowly turned around, searching the room for Priya, who wasn't there when I needed her. The doors opened and she strolled in while adjusting her earrings. "Priya, Priya! I've been looking for you!" I huffed. "Please go check on Rowan." 

Her nose scrunched up. "I'm sure he's just fine. How hard can it be to get ready for a big fat Indian wedding?" She shrugged nonchalantly. 

"Priya," I pleaded. 

"Your Dad's helping him anyway." 

"And my Dad doesn't know a thing about Indian weddings," I replied pointedly. "At least ask Rohan?" 

"Fine," she sang and then left, calling for her husband. After a while, she came back in while I sat in the chair and let Mom adjust the dupatta some more. Priya came and sat beside me, watching me and shaking her head softly. "Look at the grin on your face." 

I only grinned wider, staring at the silver-white lehenga with champagne gold embroidery and a sheer dupatta with some more embroidery of the same shades. Matching the silver-white attire, I had on a matching set of polki diamond earrings and a heavy collar-choker necklace. 

"Humor me. Was it your idea or his to have an Indian wedding despite already being married?" 

I glanced down at my bangles as I adjusted them, spinning them around my wrist. "His," I smiled, thinking back to that night. 

It was barely a month after we came back from Russia and Rowan was finally elected as the official CEO by voting of the shareholders. For a while, Rowan had been asking questions about Indian weddings. A few weeks after that, we were just lying in bed together when he told me what he had been planning. 

"Lyubov," he mumbled, tracing my arm up and down. 

"Hmm?" I asked, staring out the window as the rain poured down steadily. 

"Let's get married." 

I blinked in confusion and looked up at him. "What?" I laughed. "We already are married." 

"Let's get married again. This time, the way you want it. Everything you wanted the first time but I couldn't give you, everything on your list. Let's... have an Indian wedding." 

I lifted myself onto my elbow and stared at him, biting down a grin. "Do you know what you're asking for?" 

He shrugged casually. "I don't care how expensive or hectic it'll be. I had to deny you what you wanted the first time because we didn't have enough time. But now... we have all the time in the world, don't we? Let's get married again, exactly how you want it." 

"Rowan..." 

"Will you marry me? Again?" 

I chuckled and nodded slowly. "Yes. Yes, I would love to," I beamed before leaning forward and smashing my lips on his. 

Now finally, after the longest six months of planning and organizing and tons of help from my family and even Nate, who tried his best despite knowing nothing about Indian weddings, we were here. 

Rowan surprised me this time around, he was almost more invested and dedicated to having a perfect wedding than I was. He coordinated with everyone, arranged for everything, and made sure nothing was delayed. For the first time in my life, I saw Rowan Alastair Volkov look nervous and I loved it, the look was adorable on him. 

There was a knock on the door before it opened and Nate walked in with Leo by his side, their hands locked. Leo waved at me in his cute little baby-blue kurta. I waved back with a smile and his eyes widened and shot to my bangles as they jingled, making me laugh. 

"It's time. Rowan's waiting for you," Nate announced. 

"Let's go," Priya announced. 

Making it out of the room, we made it to the hall where the ceremony would take place. 

The way a bride walks down the aisle with her father in a Church wedding, a bride walks to her husband, generally with her brothers, holding a blanket of flowers above her head. 

Nate volunteered to carry it for me with Rohan since I had no brothers. 

"You ready?" Rohan asked me. 

I nodded eagerly with a chuckle as we began to walk to the mandap, which was essentially a temple porch under a stand-up, decorated tent, where a small fire pit sits in the middle with two seats behind it, for the bride and groom, and one next to it for the priest. All the guests have seats around the mandap itself but there's a seat for the parents of the bride and groom behind them, where my parents were already seated. 

My eyes finally landed on Rowan as I neared the mandap and I had to bite down on my bottom lip to suppress a giggle. I had never imagined Rowan in a sherwani but this was not what I pictured at all. Surprisingly, it looked like it belonged on him. 

He wore a classic black sherwani that had black and gold embroidery around the collar and a matching stole that he wore draped over one shoulder, although I will admit, it seemed like he was struggling a bit to carry that. He stared at me, only at me, as I approached him and I couldn't help but notice the way he blinked a bit more and swallowed a little harder. 

When I reached him and took his hand to maintain my balance as I pushed my heels off, a soft chuckle escaped me. "Are you crying, Rowan?" I whispered. 

"Never," he mumbled, bending down and helping me with the heels. He subtly wiped his cheek with the back of his hand on his way up and I watched him knowingly in amusement. "You look absolutely breathtaking, Lyubov." 

I gave his hand a squeeze and then we stepped up and took our seats, crossing our legs under us carefully. When I moved to unlatch our hands, he held on. I turned to him and found him already staring at me. "You can't look at me like that," I laughed quietly, bumping my shoulder with his. 

"Of course, I can. I always look at you like that," he mumbled before clearing his throat and telling me, "Shh, pay attention." 

I bit down a grin and focused ahead as the priest lit up the fire and began with the prayers. The ceremony was perfect and we didn't miss a single step. 

As we completed the seventh lap around the fire, we completed the ceremony, and the knot that my dupatta was tied into with his stole, remained tied as we finished the ceremony and were pronounced husband and wife. 

While everybody around us clapped and cheered and began to take turns to start congratulating us, Rowan leaned in. I pulled away, laughing and putting a hand over his mouth. "What are you doing?" 

"I don't get to kiss my bride?" 

"No," I shook my head. "We're expected to be more private with our... acts of affection in my culture. For the most part," I explained. 

He frowned and stared at me. "Are you saying I must wait till we're alone to kiss you?" 

"Yes, you must," I nodded and then leaned in to tease him. 

His eyes dropped to my lips. 

"Oh, come on now, don't be so modest. Nobody here cares, just do it," Priya mumbled as she picked up the tray of sweets from behind us and started distributing them. 

Rowan didn't waste a second and leaned in to kiss me, ignoring the gasps from some of my native relatives. I grinned against his lips and kissed him back. 

The post-ceremony party went on till late at night and by the time Rowan and I got back home, we were drained and exhausted. 

Rowan shut the door behind us while I released a heavy sigh and let my body relax. "That was an exceptionally long day," I breathed out as he put his arms around my waist and leaned down, pressing kisses to my neck. "But so worth it," I chuckled, tilting my head back. 

"We're not done yet," he mumbled against my skin before pulling back to look at me. 

"Oh, yeah?" I asked. 

"Oh, yeah," he nodded before picking me up. 

I let out a shriek in surprise before laughter bubbled out of me as I rocked my legs back and forth and held onto him while he carried me upstairs and into our room. He shut the door and set me down on the bed. 

"I have a lot on," I reminded him with a chuckle. 

"Then take it off, my love," he replied pointedly, already working on his clothes. 

Standing up, I took my heels off and then walked to the vanity, quickly removing all the jewelry and my dupatta. I let my hair out of the elegant bun it was in and stood still as he came up behind me, his chest bare, and began helping with the strings of the blouse, pressing kisses to my shoulder and down my spine in the process. 

"Did you like the wedding?" he whispered, resting his chin on my shoulder before slipping my blouse off and then unhooking my skirt, letting it pool at my ankles. 

I hummed in response, glancing at my mehendi-covered hands in the mirror before I turned to face him, resting my hands on his shoulders before trailing them down his chest. "I loved all of it. Thank you." 

"Don't thank me. I owed it to you. I love you, Lyubov." 

"I love you," I grinned, my fingers tangling in his hair as he leaned forward to kiss me and picked me up. I locked my legs around his waist as he walked to the bed and lay me down, hovering on top of me. "How does it feel to be married again?" I asked as he trailed kisses down my chest and stomach. 

"Like you made me the happiest man in the world all over again," he answered before carefully pulling my underwear down. "Lift your hips for me, Lyubov," he whispered. 

I did just before he leaned back up and kissed me with a grin while tugging them down my legs and throwing them onto the floor. 

"I love you so much," he said breathlessly before sliding down between my legs.

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Chapter 53

YA'LL WANTED THE BIG FAT INDIAN WEDDING I KNOW! HERE IT IS!

WHAT DID YOU THINK? DID WE LIKE IT??

next ch: epilogue 2

:( ahhh so close to the end :)